Synopsis

This unit introduces students to core problem-solving, analytical skills, and methodologies useful for developing flexible, robust, and maintainable software. In doing this it covers a range of conceptual levels, from high-level algorithms and data-structures, down to the machine models and simple assembly language programming. Topics include data types; data structures; algorithms; algorithmic complexity; recursion; and translation to assembly language.

Outcomes

At the completion of this unit, students should be able to:

implement and modify common data types such as stacks, queues, lists, trees, priority queues, heaps and hash tables using a variety of data structures such as arrays and linked nodes. Implement simple algorithms that manipulate these data types. Construct new basic data types;

compare and evaluate different implementations of a basic data type and evaluate their implications regarding time complexity, functionality, and memory usage;

design and implement simple recursive algorithms and data structures, including those manipulating lists, trees and heaps. Assess the relationship between recursive and iterative algorithms, their advantages and disadvantages;

calculate the best case and worst case big O time complexity of simple iterative and recursive algorithms (including all those studied in the unit);

manually translate simple high level code containing if-then-elses, loops, arithmetic and function calls into the assembly code used by a particular computer architecture such as MIPS R2000.

Assessment

Examination (3 hours): 70%; In-semester assessment: 30%

Workload requirements

Minimum total expected workload equals 12 hours per week comprising:

(a.) Contact hours for on-campus students:

Three hours of lectures

One 1-hour tutorial

One 3-hour laboratory

(b.) Additional requirements (all students):

A minimum of 5 hours of personal study per week in order to satisfy the reading and assignment expectations.

Chief examiner(s)

This unit applies to the following area(s) of study

Prerequisites

(FIT1040 or ECE2071 or FIT1002) and FIT1029Students beginning FIT1008 are assumed to be able to: Identify the main components of an algorithm (variables, operators, expressions, etc), and write the algorithm associated to the specification of a simple problem. Be able to translate a simple algorithm into a program containing variable declarations, selection, repetition, and lists and/or arrays.